Dance Under the Microscope

Dance Under The Microscope
by Kristy Johnson My Story It was a year ago that I heard of Dance Informa and knew immediately that I had to become involved. Initially drawn by the caption ‘by Australian dancers for Australian dancers’ I felt compelled to take on an active role as dance journalist. With fifteen years of dance experience under my belt, I aim to deliver to you insight and advice from an array of elite dance professionals, tertiary institutions and critics within the industry. Dancers are artists who perfect their craft through technique, focus, determination and mental strength, qualities instilled in me through my early years as dance student. It is with this thought in mind that I am dedicated towards determining whether Australian dancers are being trained with the necessary skills to enable career longevity within the overseas dance market. With friends currently securing contracts with reputable international companies, this topic of transition is what I am passionate about and promise to deliver to you with all the love for dance that I have. This edition features two inspiring professionals, David McAllister of the Australian Ballet and Gideon Obarzanek of Chunky Move Dance Company. Check out the next edition for my interview with the talented Nacho Pop! David McAllister is the current Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet and was awarded the prestigious honour of an AM for services to Ballet. Attributes necessary for promotion to the role of Principal Artist include technique and the mind set of the dancer. Musicality, alignment and strength are assumed elements for any dancer. David states that characteristics in performance including “maturity in their development”, “tenacity to achieve” and “leadership” are contributing factors towards going beyond what is necessary. The Australian Ballet School is one method of sourcing unique talent for the company with many of these students auditioning from schools offering other disciplines of dance as well as ballet. In response to my question, “Is the concept of the all-round dancer a desirable trait when selecting your dancers?” David emphasised the importance of immersing yourself in various genres “informing you to become a better dancer.” An open mind and body allows for inspiration. After observing workshops and education programmes the Australian Ballet offers, David suggested that the quality of teaching in Australia should rely predominantly on natural ability rather than the type of syllabus. Within the teaching codes, “idiosyncratic differences” regarding technique and performance are therefore a balancing act. As the Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet, David has the opportunity to liaise with international dance professionals within the field. In doing so, the general perception of the standard of ballet in Australia is highly regarded. A question I posed concerned the suitability of tertiary courses to the preparation of elite Ballet performance in terms of being current and essential. David responded by emphasising the differing outcomes held by various institutions, with some having a solid grounding in ballet as opposed to more contemporary forms of dance. Within the interview, David and I discussed a statement made by Jennifer McLachlan of the Dance Board of the Australia Council. Jennifer defined Australian dance as being recognised as having a vast proportion of high quality performers on a global scale, renowned for their athleticism, innovation and production of values that assist in rivalling successful international companies. The values David McAllister instils in to his dancers to maintain the standard focus on personal responsibility, identity, broad use of space, fearlessness, encouragement of long-term strategies and quality permeating through the organisation. Currently five dancers of the Australian Ballet are involved in business related degrees. Chunky Move Dance Company supports the collaboration of aspiring choreographers within their existing organisational structure through the invitation for international choreographers to conduct workshops within Melbourne. I asked David what advice he would give to aspiring Dance Informa readers in order to succeed in the overseas dance market and he responded by suggesting the taking of risks, keeping an eye on opportunities and focusing on your career. Gideon Obarzanek is the Creative Founder of Chunky Move Dance Company based in Melbourne. As the founder of one of Melbourne’s most highly reputable contemporary companies, Gideon Obarzanek sets the standard for the creation of new works that go beyond the physical limits of movement. The mind set of dancers with regards to their maturity and leadership skills play a pivotal role in the creation of new contemporary works for the company. Gideon emphasised that the makings of a new work should not only rely on physicality but also requires a knowledge of contemporary art in general.

	Kristy Johnson

	David McAllister AM. Photo: James Braund

	Gideon Obarzanek

As the Artistic Director of Chunky Move Dance Company,
Gideon has the opportunity to liaise with international dance professionals in the field and personally considers the standard of dance in Australia to be high. He goes on to state that “Australian dancers are everywhere” and are highly regarded for their capabilities.

Although Gideon’s schedule does not allow him to play an active role in dance education and training, he considers the standard of teachers plays a significant role in career development with an emphasis on learning from “good professional experience”.

With regard to dance literature available including journals and periodicals, I asked Gideon whether he perceived them to be of a credible source and high standard. In response, his perception was that they were industry based as opposed to being actively used.

Recently directors of various companies including Gideon Obarzanek and David McAllister convened for an at length meeting with the heads of schools for a discussion of what they deemed to be necessary at college level. Gideon refers to the consultation process as being an “excellent form” in terms of determining what the industry is looking for. He goes on to state that it is increasingly important for dance courses to communicate to their students that realistically a dancer’s life span is approximately ten to fifteen years.

For aspiring dancers to succeed in the overseas dance market, Gideon states that there is no real difference in Australia or overseas when it comes to seeking talent. Thinking is deemed to be an important part of the creative process and it is thus essential for the dancer to be reliable, solid as a person and grounded emotionally and physically to cope with long hours and intense periods.

Gideon Obarzanek instils in to his dancers is that “training never stops.” It is a part of life for the student and requires you to be honest about what you do in training and on stage. Any performer is required to show who they are and to give a piece of themselves.

Future interviews include: Nacho Pop, Janet Pharaoh of Moulin Rouge, Maina Gielgud,students of Victorian College of the Arts, Ramon Doringo, Yannus Sufandi and Juliette Verne.